Means for theatrical levitation.



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MEANS FOR THEATRICAL LEVITATION.

APPLICATION men APR.27, 3916.

Patented June 12, 1917.

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ERICK RAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR TI'IEATRICAL LIEVITATION.

Specification of Letters Eatent. Patentgd June 12, 1917,

Application filed April 27, 1916. Serial No. 93,816.

'1 b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enlcir Been, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have inventednew and useful lmproveunn'its in Means for Theatrical Levitation, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus used in theatrical and similar performances for the purpose of elevating and shifting about in mid-air one or more performers suspended by thin steel Wires, invisible to the spectators, thus producing the illusion of levitation, flight, swimming or the like, and'controlled by one or more operators hidden from the view of the spec-ta tors.

The principal object is to provide, in such an apparatus, means whereby the op erator or operators have perfect control of the performers position in mid-air, enabling the latter to be positively carried to and firmly held in any position within predetermined limits, at the exclusion of any vibration or pendulum-like swinging movement beyond the point at which it is in tended that the movement should cease.

A further object is to provide, for this purpose, a simplified and improved apparatus, eliminating all drums, winches, trolleys, tracks, shafts, counterweights and mass of rigging such as has heretofore been used for the accomplishment of such theatrical levitation.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of one form of embodiment of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified form of embodiment of the same, the modification consisting in the addition of a second set of means such as shown in Fig. 1, parallel thereto, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings bynumerals, it will be seen in Fig. 1 that I purpose to suspend the performer 3, by means of a harness 4: or other suitable support, having a universal joint 5 secured to it,on two thin steel wires 6 and 7. Above the stage 8 and beyond the vertical line of the two sides of the proscenium arch 9 are secured three grooved sheaves 10, 11 and 12, supported by a cross-beam 18. Over these sheaves pass steel cables 14 and 15 attached, at one end each, to the free ends of the steel wires 6 and 7, respectively and, at their other ends,

to a controlling rope 16 passing over a sheave 17 which, by the tackle 18, is secured to the floor of the stage 8, as is obvious from the drawing. It will also be seen, that the cable ll passes only over the sheave 11 and the cable 15 over sheaves and 12. The cables lel and may also be substituted by ropes, chains or the like, or entirely eliini" uated by using longer steel wires 6 and 7 running direct over the sheaves and attached to the respective ends of the controlling rope 16.

'lhe universal joint 5 is so constructed that the performer may turn around in a horizontal plane and also shift the angle of his longitudinal axis in respect to the stage. The former change of position may be accomplished by two practically invisible steel wires 19 and 20 attached at one end to the wires 6 and 7, respectively, and, at the other ends, to the hands of the performer, by means of rings one on a finger of each hand, not shown in detail in the drawings. a

The change of the position of the longitudinal axis of the performer may be elfected, permanently, by changing the position of attachment of the universal joint to the harness and, temporarily, by the contraction and extension of the legs of the performer, thereby transposing the balancing point, in an obvious manner.

By referring to the drawings (Fig. 1) it is plainly seen that the combination of the controlling rope 16, the two steel cables 14 and 15, the two steel wires 6 and 7 and the universal joint 5 to which they are attached, form a continuous and endless line. It follows therefrom that by pulling one or the other of the shanks of the controlling rope 16, one of the cables and attached steel wires, overhanging the stage, will be shortened and the other cable and steel wire correspondingly lengthened, or, properly speaking, the angle a formed by these two pairs of elements will be changed. Accordingly, the performer will be shifted from one side of the stage to the other, in a slightly curved line, nearest to the floor of the stage at its center and farthest from it at the two ends of the curved line, corresponding to the sides of the stage. The sheaves 10, 11 and 12 be ing beyond the vertical lines of the proscenium arch 9, it is evident that the per former may thus be shifted from one side of the latter to the other, or in other words, have the full range, in a horizontal line, of

It will be observed that all this shifting of the position of the performer by changing theangle a, in a horizontal line, and by operation of the tackle 18, in a vertical. line, is positively done and may be stopped at any point desired, in the perfect control of the operators of the controlling rope 16 and the tackle l8, nothing being left to momentum of aswinging body on a freely suspended line, as is the case in the systems heretofore in use.

It will also be understood that the vertical and horizontal shifting of the performer may be combined and thereby a movement in'any direction, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, arc-uate, undulating, etc, may be ob tainechalway-s in the vertical plane above referred to. i I

In Fig. 2 is shown another system of rigging, consisting of aduplication of the device shown in Fig. landhereinbefore de scribed in detail: The two units are rigged parallel to each other, and the four wires on which theperformer is suspended, are all connected to the universaljoint.

From this arrangement it is evident, that" by the operation of the two tackles 18, one

near-the front and one nearthe back part of thestage, the performer may be shifted for- Ward and backward over 'the'stage, and if the two tackles are operated simultaneously, the performer will thereby be lifted or lowered. Themovement of the performer from side to side of the stage will be effected in the same way, asbefore' described, by means of the controlling ropes of the two units, which will have to be operated synchrd nously. Li

Bythe use of this duplicated device shown in Fig. 2, a full range of shifting the performer, over the entire stage, maybe ob tained, inthe three" dimensions of space, which factis illustrated by the helical spiral track the performer may bemade to describe, among others, shown in dotted lines 'in'the last mentioned figure.

"The movements that maybe describe d Copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing'tlye Gommissi Washington, D. G.

. point of said running engagement.

with the use of this device are very graceful, uninterrupted, easy to perform, the performer may turn around his vertical axis soas to keep always in the line of the movement, with his head forward, it is always in full control of the operators, which tendsto eliminate accidents, and it may be stopped at any position, at a moments notice, with out the possibility that the performer may be carried by his momentum farther than intended.

It will be understood that while Ighave thus shown and described the preferred forms of embodiment of my invention, 1 do not want to be limited toeits mechanical details, but may resort to such alterations and modifications as come within the claims hereunto appended, and also that the device shown and described may be used for other purposes beyond that mentioned, as for instance for the hoisting and shifting in mid. air of various bodies and goods, or the like I claim:

1. In a system for theatrical purposes, two sets of rigging placed parallel to each other, one near the front and the othernear the back part of the stage, means in each of said sets of rigging to move a body suspended thereon positively vertically and horizontally in a given plane and means consisting in the coupling of said separate sets of rigging for changing the plane of movement of which said body is susceptible, at the will of the operator or operators, with in the limits determined by the position of said separate sets.

2. In a system for theatrical purposes, a rigging for suspending and moving a body, the same including a running line attached to the body, and an operating member having a running engagement with a b-ight of said line, and an operative station adjacent to which the operating membermay be an chored, the elements of the bight being movable in opposite directions relative to the 3. In a system for theatrical purposes, a plurality of rlggings for suspending ,and moving a body, each having a runningline attached to the body, and an operating mem-f her having a running engagementwith' a bight of the line, and operating stations ad ja-cent to which the operating members-may be'anchored, the elements of the bight being movable in opposite directions relative to the point of said running el'igagemena nron mien;

onerof Patents, 

